UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky Misses Out on Prestigious Award Despite Electric Season

UCLA baseball’s Roch Cholowsky fell short of the Golden Spikes Award despite his amazing season for the Bruins in 2026.

USA Baseball awards the best amateur player in the country the Golden Spikes Award annually, and several MLB icons have brought home the award in the past. Only one UCLA player has won the award before, as Trevor Bauer brought home the award after the 2011 season.

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Cholowsky, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming MLB draft, led the Bruins to a No. 1 overall seed at the start of NCAA regional play, and took home the Big Ten Player of the Year award for his efforts. He batted .320 over the course of the year, tallying 60 RBIs in the process.

He played every game of the season, and led the entire conference in home runs and runs scored.

Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson won the award, putting together an impressive season of his own in the SEC. Jackson led the nation with 212 total bases and 88 runs, and finished second with 100 hits, 32 homers and 87 RBIs.

Additionally, Jackson became the first catcher in NCAA Division 1 history to steal 25 bases while hitting 30 or more home runs.

Jun 17, 2025; Omaha, Neb, USA; UCLA Bruins shortstop Roch Cholowsky (1) completes a double play after getting Arkansas Razorbacks center fielder Justin Thomas Jr. (4) out during the fifth inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

What Do Scouts Think of Roch Cholowsky?

While Cholowsky didn’t bring home the prestigious award, the shortstop still has his best days in front of him when he steps onto the professional scene in the fall.

“A 6-foot-2 right-handed hitter, Cholowsky has the chance to have four plus tools when all is said and done,” Cholowsky’s MLB.com scouting report reads. “He routinely finds the barrel, doesn’t swing and miss or chase with an advanced approach at the plate. When he finds the ball out front, he’ll show off 70 raw power to his pull side, and that’s where his home run pop showed up in 2025. He’s not a runner, though he’s smart on the basepaths.

“That lack of pure speed won’t impact him as a defender; he uses what he has in short spaces very well. That, along with his plus instincts, allow him to get to most balls at shortstop, where he profiles as a plus defender with a plus arm. A leader who was a high school quarterback, he serves as the head of his infield in the same manner. His tools and makeup make him look like the kind of player who could be big league ready in a hurry.”

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